Recycled Metal Body Parts Coming to a Stop Sign Near You

In case you were wondering what happens to replacement metal body parts like hips, wonder no more (if you’re in Britain, at least). They’re increasingly being recycled, with the metal going into pretty much every metallic object you can think of.

Which is great, of course. There’s no reason all that metal needs to go to waste, and we’re certainly not in a position to waste much of anything these days, anyway. Most of the interested parties seem to agree – the recycling program, which involves many of Britain’s crematoriums, is completely voluntary on the part of the families of the deceased, most of whom sign off on the recycling.

The scrap metal that gets collected after cremation is sold to companies, foundries, or smelters, with all profit redirected to charity. The possible destinations for all that metal are as numerous as the number of metallic objects being produced today. Some of the lower-grade stuff goes into road signs, while more valuable, sturdier metals go into aircraft engines. So, if you want to go check out the metallic equivalent of a Bodies exhibit, now you know where to look.